Cable Snares 28 Emmys, Same as 97

9/20/1998 8:00 PM Eastern

By: LINDA MOSS

Home Box Office didn't quite clean up at the 50thAnnual Primetime Emmy Awards last week the way it did a year ago, and some big cablenetworks came away with just a few token awards, or even empty-handed.

HBO took home 14 Emmys this year -- the most of any cablenetwork, but fewer than the whopping 19 that it won last year. The premium service placedthird in terms of overall awards this year, behind NBC's 18 and ABC's 16, butahead of CBS (eight) and Fox (six).

And despite the fears of the broadcast networks, HBO'sFrom the Earth to the Moon, which was nominated for 17 Emmys, didn't sweep theawards. Producer Tom Hanks collected an Emmy for best miniseries, but in total, the $68million epic tale of the U.S. space program only snared three Emmys, with two for crafts.

All in all, cable won 28 primetime Emmys, including TheLearning Channel's Governor's Award, tying last year's record, according tothe National Cable Television Association. Cable dominated the miniseries and moviecategories, winning 15 Emmys out of 22 categories.

The Emmys took on added significance for cable this yearbecause it is now the medium's primary awards forum, following the dissolution of theCableACE Awards.

Behind HBO, Turner Network Television scored thesecond-most Emmys for a cable network, with five. Three of those were for its GeorgeWallace miniseries: John Frankenheimer for director, Gary Sinise for actor and MareWinningham for supporting actress. The awards were given on the same night that the formerAlabama governor died, Sept. 13.

In terms of other mass-entertainment cable services,Showtime and USA Network came up short in the Emmy department. Showtime, which had 17nominations, won only two Emmys, both for 12 Angry Men. USA didn't win asingle Emmy, even though it had high hopes for its Moby Dick miniseries, which wasa ratings blockbuster and a critical success.

Ironically, several niche cable networks fared better thanUSA and Showtime. Discovery Channel won an impressive three Emmys. And Disney Channel,Nickelodeon and TBS Superstation garnered one apiece.

Among its 14 Emmys, HBO for the sixth straight year walkedoff with the award for best made-for-TV movie, for Don King: Only in America. Thetelefilm's screenplay also won an Emmy.

And Garry Shandling finally got some respect from theAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences. He picked up his first Emmy in the year of hisswan song, for his writing on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show. The show'sdirector, Todd Holland, also nabbed an Emmy.

"We won, thank God," Shandling said, changing histune from past years, when he would say that it was an honor just to be nominated, even ifhe didn't win.

"Being nominated means nothing," he joked as hestood on stage to accept his long-awaited award.

Larry Sanders has only received one other Emmy, for RipTorn as best supporting actor in a comedy, two years ago.

Last year, HBO infuriated the broadcast networks when itwon more Emmys than every one of them but NBC. As a result, in a move that cable labeledas sour grapes, the broadcasters unsuccessfully began lobbying to have cable compete inits own category. The broadcasters have been particularly peeved about the way that HBOhas dominated the made-for-TV movie category.

In fact, the broadcasters and USA asked ATAS to bar HBOfrom submitting Earth to theMoonunder the miniseries category, butATAS ruled in favor of HBO.